Every Click Is Worth $100+ in Legal Markets
"Car accident lawyer near me." "Divorce attorney in Dallas." "Criminal defense lawyer [city]."
These searches drive clients worth thousands — sometimes hundreds of thousands — in fees. The competition for these terms is fierce.
But after 500+ campaigns, here's what we know: the firms that do local SEO strategically beat the firms that just throw money at Google Ads.
The Legal GBP Playbook
Primary category: Be specific. "Personal Injury Attorney," not "Lawyer." "Family Law Attorney," not "Legal Services."
Practice areas as services: List every practice area. Google matches these to searches.
Attorney photos: Potential clients want to see who they'll be working with. Professional headshots of every attorney.
Description: 750 characters. Use them. Include your primary practice areas and city.
Reviews Win Cases (Before They Start)
A prospective client comparing three lawyers with similar credentials will choose the one with the best reviews almost every time.
Here's the challenge: legal ethics rules vary by state. Some states restrict how attorneys can solicit reviews. Know your state's rules before implementing a review generation system.
Generally safe everywhere: "We'd appreciate your honest feedback on Google." No incentives. No pressure.
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Legal Content Strategy
Practice area + city pages. "Personal Injury Attorney in Houston" needs its own local landing page. Not buried in a general "Our Practice Areas" dropdown.
FAQ content. "How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in Texas?" These capture question-based searches and voice queries. Search Engine Journal's local SEO section has excellent examples of legal FAQ pages that rank.
Case results. Not full case studies, but anonymized results. "$1.2M settlement for truck accident victim" builds credibility and contains valuable keywords.
Citations for Lawyers
Beyond general directories, lawyers need to be on:
The System
SEO Checkup tracks 113 local SEO tasks across 4 checklists. Free. No credit card. 30 seconds.